Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Genoa boys basketball team improved to 25-0 with a pair of hard-fought victories over Liberty-Benton (65-48) and Paulding (56-51) in Division V district tournament play.
The victories advance the Comets to a regional semifinal against Margaretta on March 11 at 7 p.m. inside the Elida Fieldhouse, where they can produce a measure of revenge.
The Polar Bears (22-3) have defeated Genoa in the district championship the past two years and own an 8-1 all-time record in the series dating back to 1989-90. The Comets won that initial meeting in the sectional opener, which gives Margaretta eight consecutive wins in the series — three of which have come in the postseason.
With his team up just two after one and seven at the half, Genoa’s Walter Plantz scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter to help the Comets open up a 16-point lead in a district semifinal against Liberty-Benton.
Ryan Routson (7-of-8) and Jacob Woollard (3-of-4) finished a combined 10-of-12 from the foul line in the final quarter to help prevent any thoughts of a comeback.
Aside from Plantz, Routson totaled 15 points overall. Ty Asman (9), Woollard (7), Jax Magnone (5), and Myles Mollenhauer (4) rounded out the team’s scoring.
Things got even tougher for the Comets in the championship game against Paulding, who jumped out to a 16-8 lead after one and led by seven heading into the final quarter.
However, Genoa outscored Paulding 24-12 in the final quarter. Plantz scored 10 of his 21 points in the final eight minutes. On top of that, Magnone added all six of his points and Woollard scored six of his nine points in the final quarter.
Plantz finished with a game-high 21 points, while Routson added 13. Mollenhauer (4) and Asman (3) rounded out the scoring.
With the victories, Genoa broke the school’s single season wins record, topping the 2018-19 team’s 24-1 campaign. Including that season, it’s also the sixth 20-win season for the program. The 1972-73 and 1973-74 teams each won 22 games, while the 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams each won 20 games. Records only go back to 1972-73.
The most recent Genoa trip to the regional tournament came in 1995-96, where the Comets made a run to the regional final behind leading scorer Brian Myers and head coach Dan Dippman.
Gibsonburg, Lake, Stritch fall in district title games
Gibsonburg (21-4) suffered a heartbreaking 52-40 loss to Lincolnview in a Division VI district championship game at Lake High School after taking a lead into the final quarter.
Hunter Wasserman had a team-best 12 points along with six rebounds and one steal. Reece Walby added 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Xander Zimmerman had nine points. Aiden Morant added six points and six rebounds, while Chuy Rodriguez had three rebounds, three assists, and two points.
The Golden Bears earned a spot in the championship game after knocking off top-seeded Maumee Valley, 62-60, in the semifinal. Wasserman (18), Walby (15), Zimmerman (11), and Morant (10) all scored in double figures, while Foster (6) and Rodriguez (2) rounded out the scoring. Wasserman added nine rebounds, while the trio of Wasserman, Walby, and Morant had four assists each.
Lake jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led 29-25 at the half, but Lima Bath responded for a 47-40 win in a Division IV district championship game at Fremont Ross High School. The Flyers were hurt by a 0-for-8 performance as a team from 3-point range, while only scoring 11 points in the second half.
The Flyers (19-6) advanced to the championship game with a thrilling 58-56 win over Otsego, in which Preston Snyder made a shot off the glass with 1.2 seconds left. Carter Behlmer had a game-high 19 points for Lake, while Jace Ayers (11) and Xavier Scott (10) also reached double figures.
Cardinal Stritch (15-10) fell 66-34 to Pettisville in a Division VII district championship game at Clay High School. Rasean Gordon had a team-high 13 points. Despite the loss, the Cardinals capped an impressive turnaround season, where they went from 4-18 last year to 15 wins this year. On top of that, they started the year 3-7 before winning 12 of their final 15 games.
Clay, Waite fall in district semifinal round
Clay (17-7) suffered a 55-47 loss to Mansfield Senior in a district semifinal at Mansfield Ontario High School. The Tygers opened the game on an 11-0 run and led 23-13 at the half. The Eagles responded to take a 31-30 lead with 1:30 left in the third quarter behind a 15-3 run, but Mansfield Senior’s Kaylen Brooks made back-to-back 3-pointers and scored the final eight points of the quarter for his team for a 38-33 lead.
Waite (3-18) lost to Lima Senior 101-27 in a district semifinal at Fostoria High School. Stats weren’t reported.
